Protector for douches or bed-pans.



Patented Jan. 9, 1900.

0. TRABAUD. PROTECTOR FOR DOUGHE 0R BED PANS.

(Application filed May 23, 1899.)

' (No Model.)

INVENTOR? WlTNESSES TRABAUE,

:9 ATTORNEY Tm: nonms PF Ens 00, PHOTDLlYHO.,WASHINI-1TON, u c.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

CARRIE TRAEAUE, or EAST ORANGE, NEW JERsEY.

PROTECTOR FOR DOUCHES OR BED-PANS.

' SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 640,835, dated January 9, 1900.

Application filed M23, 1999. smart. 717,999. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, CARRIE TRABAUD,a citizen of the United States, residing at East Orange, in the county of Essex and State of New Jersey, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Rests or Back-Protectors for Douches or Bed-Pans and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertainsto make and use the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, and to letters of reference marked thereon, which form a part of this specification.

This invention relates generally to douches or bed-pans, and more particularly to a novel construction of rubber or other suitable cushion of a flexible material constructed to be infiated with air and operati vely connected with the douche or bed-pan to provide a comfortable rest and back-protector for the invalid or sick person using the pan.

My invention therefore has for its primary object to provide anovel construction of cushion to be employed as a rest or back-protector in connection with a douche or bed-pan or which may be used as an ordinary cushion in bed as a rest for supporting any part of the body of the patient.

My invention has for its further object to provide a cushion with two or more chambers or compartments having an air-communica tion between them, whereby when the cushion is inflated raised pillow portions will be provided with a depression between them and the cushion will conform to the back of the patient, with the spine placed directly above the said depression and away from painful contact with other portions of the cushion.

A further object ofmy invention is to provide an inflatable rest or back-protector and novel fastening means connected therewith for securing it in proper position upon a douche or bed-pan, and, furthermore, to provide a cushion for the purposes stated which shall be reversible,to enableits use either from the right or left side of the person,and thereby having the inflating-valve always near the edge of-the bed to avoid any possibility of striking the patient when placing the cushion under the person, and also permitting the nurse to reinflate the cushion with air withor back-protector, either with or without a douche or bed-pan; and, furthermore, myinvention consists in such novel arrangements and combinations of the several parts and the details of the construction thereof, all of which will be hereinafter fully described, and finally embodied in the clauses of the claim.

My invention is clearly illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which- Figure 1 is a plan or top view of my novel cushion ,which forms a rest or back-protector, and one form of douche or bed-pan, illustrating the application of my invention thereto, and also representing in said view in dotted outline one means of fastening or securing the said cushion in place, said fastening means being made of straps or hands preferably of an elastic material and preferably made in the form of what is known in surgery as a T-bandage. Fig. 2 is a longitudinal vertical section taken on line 2 2 in Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is a cross-section taken on line 3 3 in .said Fig. 1, and Fig. 4 is a similar section taken on line 4 4 in said Fig. 1.

Similar letters of reference are employed in all of the said abovedescribed views to indicate corresponding parts.

In the drawings, a is any one of the Well known forms of douches or bed-pans, consisting, essentially, of a body a and the charm bered portion a", formed by the bottom a sides a and a5, and the curved cover-piece a as'clearly illustrated in the several figures of the drawings.

The cushion, which forms the rest or backprotector, is indicated by the reference-letter 7C. Said cushion is made of rubber or any said portions is a suitable casing h, provided with the usual construction of air valve and nozzle h, such as is ordinarily employed in air-cushions, and b is a screw-piece for opening and closing said valve. Thus when said valve in the casing Z) has been opened air can be forced into the cushion C and the two baglike portions inflated therewith, the air passing through the duct or ducts c to provide the two air compartments or chambers c and c, as clearly illustrated in Fig. 4.

Connected with and suitably secured to the marginal edges 0 at the sides of the cushion in any desirable manner are the ends 0'! and (Z of a band or strap cl, which is preferably made of rubber; but it can be made of any other suitable material, as will be clearly evident, and connected with and secured to the end 0 of the cushion in any suitable manner is the end d of a second hand or strap (1 arranged at right angles to the strap or bandd and being connected therewith in any desirable manner to form a T-shaped fastening means connected with the cushion C, as clearly indicated in dotted outline in said Fig. 1.

In order that the cushion may be reversithe douche or bed-pan, the band or strap 03! is provided at or near its end 61 with an opening i to permit the passing of said band or strap over the valve casing b when the parts are to be reversed. Of course it will be understood that the valve-casing b and valve therein may be arranged in any other suitable position in the marginal edge of the cushion.

The cushion is arranged in position upon the douche or bed-pan by slipping the closed end of the pan between the non-inflated bag portions and the straps or bands at and (2'', so

that the bag portions of the cushion will be arranged upon the curved cover-piece a, and the strap or band at will be stretched down the longitudinal sides of the pan and laterally across the bottom thereof, with the strap or band d extending down the end of the pan and longitudinally along the bottom of the same with the respective corners of the pan arranged in and projecting from the open parts d and cl, formed by the two bands or straps d and d and the lower surface of the cushion 0. When thus arranged upon the douche or bed-pan a, the bag portions of the cushion are inflated with air through the valve-casing, whereby the upper and lower layers are sufficiently expanded to form the two air-chambers c and a hereinabove mentioned, and the bands or straps d and d are sufliciently stretched to retain the cushion in its proper position upon the douche or bed pan to prevent the displacement of said cushion when in use.

The cushion is of a simple construction, and is readily made, and with slight modifications can be applied to the various kinds of douches or bed-pans known.

I I am fully aware that changes may be made in the various arrangements and combinations of the several parts herein described and illustrated in the drawings, as well as in the details of the construction of the several parts, without departing from the scope of my present invention. Hence I do not limit my invention to the exact arrangements and combination of the parts herein described, and represented in the drawings, nor do I confine myself to the exact details of the construction of the various parts.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim isr 1. A rest or backproteotor for douches or bed-pans, consisting, of a pair of closely-located air-cushions, a longitudinally-arranged and narrow central depression between said cushions, integrally uniting said cushions, and forming a groove conforming with the position of the spine of a patient, andmeans connected therewith for the inflation of said cushions, substantially as and for the purposes set forth.

2. A rest or back-protector for douches or bed-pans, consisting,'of a pair of closely-lo- V 1 cated air-cushions, a longitudinally-arranged bly arranged upon the curved cover-piece of and narrow central depression between said cushions, integrally uniting said cushions,-'

and forming a groove conforming with the position of the spine of a patient, means connected therewith for the inflation of said cosh ions, and a fastening means connected with the said rest or back-protector for securing it in position upon a douche or bed-pan, substantially as and for the purposes set forth.

3. A rest or back-protector for douches or bed-pans, consisting, of a pair of closely-located air-cushions, a longitudinally-arranged and narrow central depression between said cushions, integrally uniting said cushions, and forming a groove conforming with the position of the spine of a patient, means connected therewith .for the inflation of said cushions, and a fastening means connected with the said rest or back-protector for secur ing it in position upon a douche or bed-pan, consisting of a pair of straps or bands, made in the manner of a T-bandage, substantially as and for the purposes set forth.

Iid

4. In a rest or back-protector for douches or bed-pans a pair of closely-located air-cush ions, consisting, of a pair of flexible layers 0 and c, integrally-united marginal edges c and central portions 0 connected with said layers, an inflating means connected with said layers, and a central depression between said cushions forming a groove, conforming with the position of the spine of a patient, substantially as and for the purposes set forth.

5. In arest or back-protector for douches or bed-pans a pair of closely-located air-cushions, consisting, of a pair of flexible layers 0 and c, integrally-united marginal edges 0 and centralrportions 0 connected with said layers, an inflating means connected with said layers, and a central depression between said cushions forming a groove, conforming with the position of the spine of a patient, and a pair of straps or bands, made in the manner of a T-bandage, for securing said rest or backprotector in position upon a douche or bedpan, substantially as and for the purposes set forth.

6. In arest or back-protector for'douches or bed-pans a pair of closely-located air-cushions, consisting, of a pair of flexible layers 0 and c, integrally-united marginal edges 0 and central portions 0 connected with said layers, an inflating means connected with said layers, and a central depression between said cushions forming a groove, conforming with the position of the spine of a patient, and a duct or ducts in said integrally-united portions 0 for an air communication between said air-cushions, substantially as and for the purposes set forth.

7. In a rest or back-protector for douches or bed-pans a pair of closely-located air-cushions, consisting, of a pair of flexible layers 0 and c, integrally-united marginal edges 0 and central portions 0 connected with said layers, an inflating means connected with said layers, and'a central depression between said cushions forming a groove, conforming with the position of the spine of a patient, a

duct or ducts in said integrally-united po'r;

CARRIE TRABAUD,

WVitnesses:

FREDK. C. FRAEN'JJZEL, WALTER H. TALMAGE. 

